Music bio comparisons were always going to be made between this fantastical look at the life of Elton John, and last year’s divisive rockbuster, Bohemian Rhapsody. However, it seems as though Rocketman, which apparently received a four-minute standing ovation at its suitably glitzy Cannes screening last night, has debuted higher in the critical charts than the Queen biopic, with effusive reviews and social media reaction emerging overnight.
In his Telegraph review, Robbie Collin said that the “Elton John movie [was] a heart-racing, toe-tapping, deliriously entertaining triumph”, while David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter claimed that it was a “boldly unconventional portrait of Elton John”, with “a fully committed performance” from Taron Egerton “that ranges from exuberant stage showmanship through maudlin seediness and private misery, then back up again with the raw vulnerability and hard self-examination of someone stepping away from the precipice to take responsibility for his near flameout.”
The Twitterati were also keen to air their mainly positive reviews from the Croisette, a selection of which can be found below:
I’m not an objective viewer but I really enjoyed #Rocketman. It’s a lovely tribute to Elton’s partnership with Bernie & the fantastical tone suits his life perfectly. Oscar chances hinge on reviews & biz, but as a true musical it’s a great bet for picture & actor at the Globes. pic.twitter.com/e1AlNsqfvf
— Dave Karger (@davekarger) May 16, 2019
#Rocketman #Cannes2019 Review: ‘As euphoric and baldly emotional as Elton John’s best songs’ https://t.co/6c8RrPsDQc pic.twitter.com/LpsEvCU6nh
— Screen International at #Cannes2019 (@Screendaily) May 16, 2019
Rocketman was so worth the obscenely early start… A glitzy larger-than-life camp-filled film that turns the conventions of the Sunday afternoon biopic on their head. Consider me pleasantly surprised #Cannes2019 #Rocketman
— Becca Harrison (@BeccaEHarrison) May 17, 2019
In #Rocketman, Taron Egerton is a solid vessel for pairing Elton John’s giddy energy with the melancholy hidden behind those tinted shades. @erickohn reviews: https://t.co/6IHEG8QU5N #Cannes2019 pic.twitter.com/WrwyGIdD4k
— IndieWire (@IndieWire) May 17, 2019
Let us know whether this news gets you even more excited for Rocketman by using the comments section below, or head over to our Flickering Myth Twitter feed @flickeringmyth…
Rocketman is scheduled for release on May 31st 2019 in the US and May 24th in the UK and features a cast that includes Taron Egerton (Robin Hood), Jamie Bell (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool), Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), and Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom).